North Korea said Tuesday that leader Kim Jong Un returned home from a trip to Russia where he deepened “comradeship and friendly ties” with President Vladimir Putin.
During Kim’s six-day trip to Russia, his longest overseas trip as leader, the two countries said they discussed the possibility of boosting their defense ties but did not reveal any specific steps.
Foreign experts speculate that the two countries, both locked in confrontations with the West, were pushing for arms transfer deals in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.
The official Korean Central News Agency said Kim’s train crossed a border river on Monday morning, but did not say whether it was headed to the capital, Pyongyang, or elsewhere within the country.
Before traveling to Russia, Kim made several visits to its munitions factories, sparking speculation that he intended to check on the production of weapons that would be shipped to Russia.
While traveling through Russia’s Far East region, Kim met with Putin at Russia’s major space launch center before visiting military sites to see some of Russia’s most advanced weapons systems, including nuclear-capable bombers, fighter jets and hypersonic missiles.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin talk at the Vostochny cosmodrome outside the town of Tsiolkovsky, about 125 miles from the city of Blagoveshchensk in Russia’s eastern Amur region, on 13 September 2023. KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Images
Kim Jong Un waves from his train after a reception hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin, in Russia, September 13, 2023. via REUTERS
In live comments during their meeting last Wednesday, Kim offered “full and unconditional support” to Putin.
KCNA later said Kim and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu also met and discussed expanding “strategic and tactical coordination” between the countries’ armed forces.
Many outside experts say Kim would provide ammunition to refill Russia’s depleted inventory in the second year of the war in Ukraine in exchange for receiving Russian technologies to modernize its nuclear weapons arsenals.
Kim Jong Un shaking hands with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu after receiving a gift at his lunch during a visit to the port of Vladivostok, Primorsky Region, September 16, 2023. KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Images
Kim Jong Un visits an aircraft manufacturing plant in the city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur in the Khabarovsk region, Russia, September 15, 2023. via REUTERS
Kim Jong Un shares a moment with the governor of Russia’s Primorsky Krai region, Oleg Kozhemyako, right, during a banquet in Vladivostok, Russian Far East, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023. AP
U.S. and South Korean officials have warned that Russia and North Korea would face consequences if they press ahead with such arms transfer deals in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.
Other experts say Kim would end up receiving food and economic aid because Russia is reluctant to share its sensitive high-tech weapons technologies with other countries.
Kim has been pushing hard to bolster his nuclear arsenal, citing what he called escalating U.S. military threats.
Analysts say Kim would try to use his expanded arsenal to extract greater concessions from the United States while boosting his military credentials at home in the face of economic difficulties compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn